TypePad is the hosted version of blog software pioneer Six Apart's powerful Movable Type blog platform. TypePad services start at $5 per month--a steal considering its professional interface and excellent design options.

Starting a new blog is simple. You can choose from 50 different themes and nine column layouts. You can also map a subdomain or a full domain to your hosted blog if you upgrade to the $9-per-month plan. All plans let you install any of a selection of 50 widgets from partner companies or display any external news feed. You cannot, however, install third-party JavaScript, as Blogger allows you to do. Also, TypePad cannot create static pages.

Text ads are allowed on TypePad blogs, but they must be from Kanoodle, a Six Apart partner. Other extras include basic visitor/referral statistics, a mobile client for blogging from select smart phones, and configurable photo galleries restricted only by your plan's storage limit.

TypePad features a clean, professional design that is distinctly different from Blogger and WordPress's more playful interfaces. TypePad's post form features clear icons that let you easily add HTML, upload photos or documents, and switch between WYSIWYG and HTML views. Some HTML elements can be lost when you switch between the two views, though.

You also get basic access to your directory structure, where you can add and delete files, make new folders, and set up links to previously uploaded items. TypePad automatically creates podcast feeds for posts with audio files in them, but given the limited bandwidth (the amount of data allowed to be downloaded each month) in all the plans, such files are best hosted on an external server.

TypePad, with its clean interface and multimedia features, is a great choice for a small-business or professional blog. However, its low bandwidth limits (2GB at $6 per month and 5GB at $9 per month) and its inability to create static pages limit its usefulness as a full content management system.

Ryan Singel